I am getting parts today for my first homemade, an APH. I will also be picking up some stuff to finish fixing my 2700, and maybe to get for some modding projects, depending on the price of everything.

I plan on making an APH with a backpack reservoir, a tracked pump, and possibly a casing. However, it will still use a ball valve, possibly brass, once again depending on prices, and the valve's handle as the trigger, nothing fancy. I am actually liking the idea of using the same hand for pumping and triggering, as on a normal blaster, I switch hands after pumping, unless I am in a hurry.

The pump will be 1/2 inch PVC and a wooden dowel with an oring or 2, probably also using the CPVC mounts for them, simply because I have some CPVC laying around. The track will be 3/4 inch PVC on the end of the 1/2 inch stuff, , with a groove at the top for the bolts, which will attach the dowel to a peice of 1 1/4 PVC, which I also have around. The groove will run to the end of the 3/4 PVC, and an endcap will prevent the pump from popping out. This also makes the pump serviceable, as the endcap will not be glued. Think CPS 2100a1.

The backpack will be a standard solar shower backpack, with a shutoff valve, again depending on price. This will no doubt be PVC.

I am still deciding between the standard APH bend area, and the 45° style wetmonkey used in his orange APH. It will depend on the selection at the store.

I will be using 2 3 inch PCs, unless selection limits me to something else. They will be affixed in a normal fashion.

I will use tubing barbs and my laminator for nozzles, just like my 2700.

I may or may not make a casing out of 4 inch drainpipe, depending of the weight of the gun. I do have some lying around, however, so I don't have to make that decision yet. The main reason I would do this is to provide better support for the pump.

I will attach a strap SuperCPS style, with zip ties.

Finally, don't try to talk me out of any part of the design unless you have a better idea. I like this concept. Don't just be like, "Hey, that's a stupid idea." tell me what's wrong with it. Thanks all.

I'd recommend either bent T or bent traditional PCs rather than the traditional straight-ups. The original APH PC design is inefficient. All that water stored in the PCs has to get funneled through that narrow reducing area and then change direction 90 degrees. "Bent T" has Wetmonkey's 45 degree bend in the top of the PC, plus a large size tee at the bottom. Instead of a 3/4" or 1/2" tee to connect the PC, the piece is 2, 3, or even 4" and is no longer a mere connecter, but the majority of the water portion of the PC itself, thus ensuring that most of the water is delivered in a straight line to the nozzle. The air always stays on top and out of the shot, thanks to the bend. It's the PC design I made several years ago for the "n00b killer" APH, which got incredible ranges for a single PC using only 2" pipe. Next best PC design would be the traditional with a bend, like in the orange APH. That won't position the water in a straight line before the shot, but at least the air stays out.

PC design is the only major thing I'd recommend changing. There's no reason to make straight-up APH PCs anymore. The other thing I'd change is not using a wooden dowel. Those have gone out of fashion since the seal is variable and they can rot if you don't use the gun frequently enough or don't dry the pump enough after use. Plastic or stainless would be the best materials to use, although they are not as adjustable as wood, they will last longer.

Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!

2004 Red Sox - World Series Champions2007 Red Sox - World Series Champions!

I made a 3/4" outer pump with a thick-walled 1/2" PVC rod for my pump handle and cut grooves into the 1/2" for the o-rings to sit in. It's easy to pump and I can build ridiculous pressures with it... I made a 3-ring seal. I highly recommend it even if others say the 3/4" is too large.

I recommend a brass ball valve. My PVC one is kinda hard to open with 200psi behind it.

I got all the parts. I first went to Lows, and got most of the fittings, and 1/2 inch pipe. However, the service people were crappy- she hardly spoke english, and when asked, she was like, "What's an o-ring?" they also lacked 3 inch pressure rated pipe and fittings.

We went to Lowes, and easily found the stuff we needed. The service people there were much better, and the selection was the same, except that they had pressure rated fitings and pipe(in reasonable lengths) above 2 inches. I will have to keep that in mind.

The gun will be as planned, except that it will have 1 huge PC almost exclusively of fittings, with pipe just to hold it together. There is a bushing from 3/4 to 2 inches. From there to 3 inxhes is a reducer(?) that is cone shaped. After that is a 3 inch 45° elbow, followed by an end cap. This is huge, plenty for my needs. I should have plenty of shot time.

The pump is going to be tricky, and likely involve a lot of sanding, to get the 1/2 inch into the 3/4 inch for the track, and maybe the CPVC into the 1/2. The oring seem like they would be fine just in valleys though. Maybe I can find something else to support them.

I will pictures and parts I bought up her later, as well as on my blog.

This is the majority of the things for the gun. Note however, that the piping is not here because it is not cut yet. This is actually sitting on top of my arsenal container for smaller weapons(IM2, MD6k, Stream Machine, squirt guns, soda bottles).

these are the pipes I have- 3/4 inch PVC, 1/2 inch CPVC (not for this project), 1/2 inch PVC, and 3 inch PVC on the bottom

A closer look at the gun. Here, you can see how the PC will work. You will hardly be be able to see any pipe, just fittings.

This is the laminator and the nozzles. I will test the range advantage of the laminator GnG style, with two mesurements, the range and power. You get a cookie if you know what I mean.

Closeups of the nozzles. They are 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch tubing barbs, respectively.

Likely tomorrow I will get the tubing and such cut, and you will be able to see what it will look like. When sanding to fit 1/2 inch pipe into 3/4 inch pipe, which pipe do you recommend sanding? I'm thinking the 1/2, so I don't have to sand inside. I do not yet have some of the things for the backpack, so I will get pics up then.

I might try to make the finished gun my 300th post btw, so I may not post much today. on the other hand, I may not.

Last edited by atvan on Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

^ Though, being the first one of that design, the example has some issues. Don't use drain pipe for starters. If the elbow and tee look like that, they are not pressure-rated. Secondly, don't use bushings between the PC and ball valve if you can help it, use reducers. Bushings for the step up from the check valve to PC and reducers for the step down from PC to ball valve. The reducers preserve better flow. Thirdly, the bent part of the PC should extend farther out than what that pic has. And lastly, don't use 2" pipe like with that or it will only shoot in the high 40s. Use at least 3" in the bottom tee for standard homemade ranges. The PC can be tapered off in the bent portion if you know how much air you've got when the PC is full.

Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!

2004 Red Sox - World Series Champions2007 Red Sox - World Series Champions!

I've thought about that design before DX, should be more efficient than double PCs, I too hope it becomes the future of APHs. On the other hand, if Atvan is going for a single PC, he might not want all the extra pumping required.